Kisses Under The Mistletoe
by Stargem
Summary: Duo and mistletoe. What IS our favourite Deathscythe pilot up to? Shounen ai.


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[ **Disclaimer: **All rights and privileges to Shin Kidousenki Gundam Wing are trademarks and property of Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties. The characters of these works are used WITHOUT permission for the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fiction is not meant for sale or profit. ]

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A GW fan fic: Kisses Under The Mistletoe 

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By Stargem

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"_Joy to the world~~!_"

Quatre and Trowa stood in the doorway, both wearing bemused expressions as they watched their braided companion happily puttering around in the spacious kitchen and caroling at the top of his voice. Duo's formerly black clothes were now a near pure white from the flour that flew up in clouds as he energetically dug into the white sack, sagging dispiritedly on the counter. Several pieces of haphazardly shaped dough in the form of chibi-Shinigamis lay on a greased paper in a tray, all ready for the oven. Quatre fervently hoped that Duo's little culinary adventure would not end in his oven meeting an untimely death by the way of a spectacular explosion.

Noticing his audience, Duo waved a roller at them in greeting, "Hey, guys! I'm making gingerbread for snacks later. Even did special ones for each of us." He prodded a group of dough vaguely resembling all five Gundam pilots. "Neat, eh?"

Quatre was unable to come up with a reply, so he settled for a gentle smile. Trowa remained quiet, but amusement glinted in his eyes. Duo squinted at them and suddenly beamed.

"You're standin' under the mistletoe!"

Both Trowa and Quatre gave him blank looks.

Duo frowned. "Aw, c'mon, you gotta know the tradition!"

"Uhm… tradition…?" Quatre ventured, confused.

"Yup. You hafta kiss! It's tradition!" Duo clarified with a wink, turning back to stamping out another chibi-Shinigami gingerbread.

"K-kiss?" Quatre winced at the stutter in his voice and sneaked a nervous glance at the still-silent Trowa.

The pilot in question shrugged helplessly under his scrutiny. No help there. Quatre looked at Duo. He looked at Trowa. He looked back at Duo and sweatdropped. Now, was he joking… or was this really some strange Christmas custom? He half-hoped it was the latter... He really, really wanted to kiss Trowa, but; his cheeks warmed. The silence was broken only by Duo's cheerful singing and stamping of the gingerbread. Finally, Quatre fled the scene, supremely embarrassed.

Trowa stared after him in bewilderment. He hadn't expected the Arabian pilot to bolt. 

"What are you waiting for? Go after him!" Duo's commanding voice propelled him into action.

"Quatre - wait!"

Left to himself in the kitchen, Duo examined the crowded tray of gingerbread and nodded with satisfaction. He slid the entire tray into the oven enthusiastically, banging the door closed and fiddled with the dials. That over and done with, he surveyed the devastation zone his preparation of the gingerbread had turned Quatre's kitchen into.

"Hmm." His eyes alighted on the sprig of mistletoe hanging over the doorway. "I'll clean up later…"

***

Quatre's flight had taken him outside into the snowy garden. Trowa tracked him easily by following the footprints in the powdery whiteness of the first, light blanket of snow. It was snowing lightly - tiny snowflakes drifted down onto Trowa's hair, eyelashes and clothes. His breath puffed out in small clouds of steam. The object of his search was standing by the large, gaily decorated Christmas tree Duo had insisted on putting up outside.

"Quatre?"

The golden-haired boy turned at the sound of his voice. Hesitation played across his delicate features before smoothing out into a slightly shaky smile. The almost-benevolent glow of electric lights strung all over the Christmas tree cast a gentle radiance on Quatre's figure, outlining his shape and highlighting the gold of his hair. His sapphire eyes seemed luminous and sparkled like the stars dusting the nighttime sky.

"Hello," he said, not quite certain of what to say. Duo's cheerful pronouncement of, "_You hafta kiss! It's tradition!_" kept on repeating in his head like a broken record, much to his discomfiture.

"Hello," Trowa responded, equally at a loss for words. Not that he was the most eloquent of speakers at any time…

They stared at each other mutely through the softly falling curtain of snow, before Trowa finally decided to take the initiative and stepped closer, moving slowly to give Quatre ample opportunity to halt his advance or retreat. He stopped when they were practically touching and bent slightly forward so that they were nose to nose.

Hesitance coloured his voice as he spoke, "Duo's tradition… I think I like it."

Quatre blinked, his thoughts somehow losing coherence at Trowa's closeness. He was wrapped up in a blanket of fuzzy warmth as Trowa's smooth tones flowed around him. 

When the words finally registered, he blurted in surprise, "Oh!" 

Trowa smiled at his flustered state with amusement and no little affection. Shyly, Quatre smiled back.

"I-I think… I like it too…"

Quatre wasn't sure who closed the last tiny gap, but suddenly their lips met, and they kissed.

***

"It's tradition," Duo proclaimed gleefully. "Now you have to kiss somebody, Wufei!"

"Absolutely _not_," growled the irate Chinese pilot, irritably swiping at the mistletoe Duo was waving above his head.

"But Wuuufeiiiii! It's bad luck to go against tradition!"

Wufei gritted his teeth. He could feel a headache coming on already. "No. And besides, just _who_ am I supposed to kiss anyway? Certainly not _you_."

Duo fiddled with the tip of his braid thoughtfully. "Got a point there, Wu-man." Abruptly, his attention was snagged by the scowling figure in the doorway. "Heero!"

"Duo," Heero said in his usual monotone. "What have you done to the kitchen?"

Duo bounced over to the Wing pilot and slung a companionable arm around his shoulder. "I was just baking us all some gingerbread! I've just put the cookies in the oven." 

He reached up on his toes and attached the mistletoe he had taken from the kitchen to the top of the doorway. Heero raised an eyebrow.

"Now you have to kiss me," Duo informed him cheerily. "It's tradition."

The eyebrow twitched. Wufei rolled his eyes, stood and left the room. Duo waited expectantly. Finally, Heero acquiesced to his silent demand, and brushed his lips fleetingly against Duo's. Suddenly, there was a muffled 'boom!' from the general vicinity of the kitchen. Heero jerked away from Duo, breaking the kiss. A moment of silent communication passed between them. Then they ran to the kitchen, skidding to a stop in the doorway. Duo braked before he could slam into Heero and peered around his shoulder.

Thankfully, nothing had gone up in flames. The oven merely looked a little… charred. The insides of the oven were coated with sticky lumps of charcoal and a greyish substance that used to be dough. Duo laughed nervously as Heero leveled him with an accusing stare. 

Back in the living room, Duo flung himself down on the couch with a sigh and looked out the window. He blinked. Then he grinned. 

"Well…. The tradition lives on."

He observed the sweet picture Quatre and Trowa made, kissing against the backdrop of a lighted Christmas tree and falling snow for a moment longer before turning away. Give the couple some privacy, he decided. They made such a cute pair. He looked up and grinned as Heero returned from the kitchen.

"Merry Christmas!"

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~Owari~

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(©_ December 1999 by Stargem_)

Fic idea by Djinn/sea. I hope you appreciate this, Djinn… I was up at 3 in the morning writing this for you... *keels over and starts snoring*

Here's an interesting tidbit I unearthed during my research on mistletoe:

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The Druids considered the mistletoe to be a sacred plant and believed it had miraculous properties which could cure illnesses, serve as an antidote against poisons, ensure fertility and protect against the ill effects of witchcraft. Moreover, whenever enemies met under the mistletoe in the forest, they had to lay down their arms and observe a truce until the next day. From this has seemingly come the ancient custom of hanging a ball of mistletoe from the ceiling and exchanging kisses under it as a sign of friendship and goodwill. 

Even if the pagan significance has been long forgotten, the custom of exchanging a kiss under the mistletoe can still be found in many European countries as well as in Canada. Thus if a couple in love exchanges a kiss under the mistletoe, it is interpreted as a promise to marry, as well as a prediction of happiness and long life. 

Neat~! ^_^ So I guess that means those darling couples are gonna get married someday!

Special thanks go to Reishin and kumiko, my proofreaders ^_^ And an additional thank you to Djinn for hosting this fic!

Send your comments and criticisms!

[stargem@silverink.cjb.net][1]

   [1]: mailto:stargem@silverink.cjb.net



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